Announcing our newest APR, Deborah Jonsson!

Deborah Jonsson, APR, of the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association

(FPRA) and Gulf Coast Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) recently earned professional public relations accreditation, and received the designation of Accredited in Public Relations (APR).

Jonsson joins the more than 4,300 active public relations professionals worldwide who represent an elite group of highly skilled professionals committed to practicing with exemplary ethical standards, including 29 in southwest Florida.

Jonsson is the public relations manager at Avow, a nonprofit organization serving Collier County residents suffering from serious and terminal illness and loss. She is an active member of both FPRA and PRSA. She has served on the Gulf Coast Chapter PRSA board since 2012 and will assume the role of president in 2015. She prepared for the APR exam through FPRA student sessions. Jonsson studied fine arts at Nazareth College of Rochester and earned a Certificate in Public Relations from Rochester Institute of Technology.

To earn accreditation, candidates must pass an oral presentation and rigorous written examination administered by the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB), which is an alliance of eight national and statewide professional associations dedicated to furthering the field of public relations and the development of public relations professionals. FPRA is a member of the UAB.

About the Florida Public Relations Association

The Florida Public Relations Association is dedicated to developing public relations practitioners who, through ethical and standardized practices, enhance the public relations profession in Florida.  For more information on the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association, visit www.fpraswfl.org.

About the Public Relations Society of America

Chartered in 1947, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is the world’s largest and foremost organization of public relations professionals. PRSA provides professional development, sets standards of excellence and upholds principles of ethics for its members and, more broadly, the multi-billion dollar global public relations profession. We also advocate for greater understanding and adoption of public relations services. For more information on the Gulf Coast Chapter of Public Relations Society of America, visit: www.gulfcoastprsa.org

Announcing our newest APR, Holly Boldrin!

Holly Boldrin, APR, of the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) recently earned professional public relations accreditation, and received the designation of Accredited in Public Relations (APR).

 

Boldrin joins the more than 4,300 active public relations professionals worldwide who represent an elite group of highly skilled professionals committed to practicing with exemplary ethical standards, including 32 in southwest Florida.

Boldrin has 22 years of communications experience and is the public relations manager for Priority Marketing of Southwest Florida. In addition to previous positions in the public relations industry, Boldrin worked for more than 10 years in television news. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from the University of South Florida. Boldrin is active in the local community, including volunteer service as a Cub Scout leader, board member with the Pine Manor Improvement Association and communications chair for the Cypress Lake United Methodist Church.

To earn accreditation, candidates must pass an oral presentation and rigorous written examination administered by the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB), which is an alliance of eight national and statewide professional associations dedicated to furthering the field of public relations and the development of public relations professionals. FPRA is a member of the UAB.

About the Florida Public Relations Association

The Florida Public Relations Association is dedicated to developing public relations practitioners who, through ethical and standardized practices, enhance the public relations profession in Florida.  For more information on the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association, visit www.fpraswfl.org.

President's Word

From Heidi Taulman, APR

Well, hello their FPRA champions!  I am humbled and honored to be the new President of the Southwest Florida Chapter of FPRA – the 3^rd largest in the State I might add! I'm excited to start this journey together with you and the terrific team of professionals on the leadership team.  I encourage you to take a look at the Board and Leadership team members and get to know them. We are lucky to have such a dynamic group.  I also encourage you to reach out to me if you have questions and just to say Hello!

This year’s theme will be about superheroes and we hope you will use the tagline #findyourPRsuperhero throughout the year to congratulate others on their work, share great tips with others and encourage your FPRA team to develop professionally. As this year’s State President of FPRA, Rachel Smith, APR, CPRC, says “Accelerate your career at light speed with FPRA.”

 I encourage you to take a look at the excerpt from Jason Nazar about Superheroes’ traits in the newsletter.  I like all of these traits, but this one stands out for me and FPRA – Superheroes can do it by themselves but are more powerful in teams… (www.JasonNazar.com)  The Southwest Florida Chapter of FPRA is a team of superheroes working towards the betterment of you and your profession.  Thanks for being part of that team!

Don’t miss out on your first superhero mission – Attend PRU on Oct. 10^th.  It is truly going to be a great educational opportunity you won’t want to miss!

I appreciate all of you, your ongoing support and look forward to working with you!

#FindyourPRsuperhero

-Heidi Taulman, APR

Traits of a Superhero

A superhero is a type of hero or savior possessing extraordinary talents, supernatural phenomena, or superhuman powers and dedicated to protecting the public.

1.    Superheroes never give up.

2.    Superheroes always get the job done.

3.    Superheroes are the best at what they do.

4.    Superheroes are crystal clear of their purpose.

5.    Superheroes are NOT flawless.

6.    Superheroes do not seek glory…but they get it anyway.

7.    Superheroes help others.

8.    Superheroes can do it by themselves but are more powerful in teams.

9.    Superheroes’ true strength comes from their character.

10. Superheroes accomplish huge feats.

**Ten Lessons Start-ups can learn from Superheroes – www.JasonNazar.com

FGCU Internship Fair

PARTICIPATE IN FGCU PUBLIC RELATIONS INTERNSHIP FAIR

FGCU public relations students and communications students will hold an Internship Fair on October 7th from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m in the Cohen Center Ballroom located on FGCU Campus.  If your company is interested in participating in the fair, please contact Molly Nurcyzk, FGCU Florida Public Relations Association Student Chapter President, at menurczyk1826@eagle.fgcu.edu.

Social Media and Your Brain

Do you ever check the clock and wonder how you wasted away hours of your day on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter? Ragan Social Media breaks down what's happened to our brains over the last 14 years with the constant use of social media. Is social media your brain's favorite drug or is it still that morning cup of caffeine? Click the infographic below to visit Ragan.com and learn more.

In 2000, a person's average attention span was 12 seconds.

In 2013, that dwindled down to 8 seconds.

Here's the humbling part: The attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds.

With this (horrifying) statistic and others, an infographic from TollFreeForwarding.com explains how social media affects our brains. Here are a few insights:

• Tweeting for 10 minutes can raise your oxytocin level (the hormone that reduces anxiety) as much as 13 percent.
• A majority of 18-to-85-year-olds found social media is harder to resist than smoking, drinking, spending money, sleeping and sex.
• Facebook users are on the social network for an average of 81 hours per year.
• People switch between devices an average of 21 times per hour.

Take a look at the infographic and let us know: Do you think social media is good for the brain?

Leadership Corner - by Mike Jackson, APR

Public Relations is the glue that connects an organization to its publics; and it is often the catalyst that helps organizations overcome their internal silos.

You’d think that such an important function would be held in high esteem.

Yet, in the latest US News & World Report survey of 100 best jobs, “Public Relations” ranks #85 (behind teaching, sales and phlebotomy; but ahead of real estate agent and landscaper)!

So PR has some image work to do!

I think we start with us. We must continue our efforts to transform PR from a “job,” to a “profession.” That professionalism is driven by growing our body of knowledge and building momentum for certifications that bring our reality to life.

PR is not an art-form. It is a social science. PR Practitioners are not carnival barkers: they are information, image and reputation managers who rely on research tools, technology and the human touch to make good things happen.

Like all professionals, individual PR professionals don’t hold the franchise on wisdom. The profession grows when professionals share their ideas and experiences; and when they band together in pursuit of higher aspirations.

There is no better place for that annealing to occur than FPRA. It is the place where we define our profession and create our future.

***

Mike Jackson, APR, is program co-chair. Mike is a former Chicago TV newscaster, corporate communications consultant, and economic development director in Ohio and Cape Coral FL. He holds an MBA from Northwestern University